Robbery alarm system for protecting cash drawer



May 22, 1962 P. D. SCHILLER 3,036,298

ROBBERY ALARM SYSTEM FOR PROTECTING CASH DRAWER Filed March 30, 1960 570 IN VENTOR 35 PAUL D. Scumuaz.

B EQEMMAEMW ATTORNEYS EVE I IEI [j United States Patent 3,036,298ROBBERY ALARM SYSTEM FGR PROTECTING CASH DRAWER Paul D. Schiller, 1 .0.Box 65, Raleigh, N.C. Filed Mar. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 18,626 3 Claims.(Cl. 34)274) of the electrical alarm circuit to actuate the alarmdevice.

The switch mechanism takes the form of a push-button contact adapted tobe depressed into engagement with an opposed contact by the foot or handof a person to close the switch and sound the alarm device. Pastexperience with this type of alarm system has shown that anyoneattempting to actuate the alarm device by depressing the push-buttonswitch contact places himself in great danger of being seriously injuredor even killed by a criminal perpetrating the robbery. This can beexplained when it is understood that a criminal engaged in the robbery,knowing of the usual robbery alarm system, is likely to be highlysuspicious of any movement on the part of persons in the establishmentbeing robbed. Most often, a

criminal will be in an unstable emotional state during the robbery andmay inflict serious injury or even death on a person who makesanymovement leading the criminal to believe that an alarm has been set off.In fact, many bank olficials have urged their employees to do nothing toupset a criminal taking part in a robbery, preferring to lose the moneyrather than risk the possibility that a serious injury might beinflicted upon an employee who attempts to set off the alarm system.

Another form of robbery alarm system which has been proposed utilizes aspring-biased push-button as one contact member for a switch in anelectrical alarm circuit 7 having an alarm device disposed therein. Theswitch is normally maintained in open position by placing money atop thepush-button contact member to depress it against the biasing force of aspring. Upon removal of the money from the push-button contact member bya robber or by a person instructed to do so by the robber, the springbiases the push-button contact member into engagement with an opposedcontact member to close the switch and actuate the alarm device.However, a criminal taking part in a robbery is apt to be in a positionwhere he will notice the movement of the push-button contact membercaused by the biasing force of the spring when the money is removedtherefrom. It being common for the criminal to be in a highly excitedand nervous state when involved in a criminal act, the belief by himthat an alarm device has been actuated may result in serious injuriesbeing inflicted upon innocent persons standing nearby. e

In both types of robbery alarm systems described above,

' the inherent danger that a criminal may notice some unusual movement,either on the part of a person in the establishment being robbed or of apart of the alarm system itself, creates a real possibility that thecriminal in his anxiety may wound or even kill a person suspected ofsetting oil the alarm.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved robberyalarm system wherein an electrical alarm circuit is held open by aholding circuit having a pair of fixed spaced electrical contactstherein, the holdice currency which engages the contacts when the stackof paper currency is disposed atop the contacts. Removal of the stack ofpaper currency bearing the band wrapper having the electricallyconductive means thereon from atop the spaced electrical contacts breaksthe holding circuit, allowing the electrical alarm circuit to becompleted for actuating an alarm device, even though no movement of apart of the robbery alarm system is visible to a criminal, nor is anymovement of an innocent person which is unauthorized by the criminalrequired.

It is another object of this invention to provide a switch for actuatinga robbery alarm device when opened, wherein the switch comprises a pairof fixed spaced electrical contacts disposed on a surface adapted toreceive money and a band wrapper for a stack of paper currency havingelectrically conductive means thereon bridging the space between theelectrical contacts and engaging the contacts to close the switch.Removal of the stack of paper currency together with its band wrapperwill displace the e1ectrically conductive means on the band wrapper fromengagement with the contacts to open the switch and actuate the alarmdevice.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objectswill appear as the description proceeds, when taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings, in which- FIGURE 1 is a schematic viewillustrating the robbery alarm system embodying the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of an open cash drawer, illustrating aportion of a robbery alarm system associated therewith;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged transverse vertical sectional view of a cashdrawer shown in FIGURE 2 taken along the line 31-3 in FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical sectionalview of the alarm actuating switch as it appears in FIGURE 3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings and to FIGURE 1 inparticular, the improved robbery alarm system embodying the presentinvention is illustrated in schematic form. The robbery alarm systemrelies upon electric power for its operation which may be supplied froman existing source of electrical current in a business establishment,such as a bank or the like. In FIGURE 1, this source of electricalcurrent is shown in the form of an electrical connector or plug 10. Fromthe plug 10, a pair of electrical conductors or wires 11, 12 extend torespective terminals for the primary coil of a transformer 13 to supplyelectrical current thereto. The transformer 13 is of a conventionalstep-down type, designed to supply 12 volts to an alarm device 14through wires 15, '16 extending between the terminals for the secondarycoil of the transformer 13 and the alarm device 14.

A switch means 20 is interposed in one of the wires 15, 16 extendingbetween the transformer 13 and the alarm device 14, FIGURE 1illustrating the switch means 20- as being interposed in the wire :15.The switch means 20 is adapted to be opened and closed for rendering thealarm device 14- inoperative and actuating the alarm device 14 as willbe subsequently described. Together, the wires 15, 16, the alarm device14 and the switch means 20 comprise an electrical alarm circuit.

The robbery alarm system in addition to the electrical alarm circuitabove described also includes a holding circuit which maintains theelectrical alarm circuit open when completed. The holding circuitcomprises a pair of electrical conductors or wires 21, 22 extending toopposite terminals of an alarm control means in the form of anelectromagnet 23 having a magnetizable core 24 therein.

It will be observed that the wire 21 comprises several segments, asegment 21a being connected at one end to a terminal for the secondarycoil of the transformer 13 and at its other end to a roller 30positioned in slidable engagement with an angle bar 31 forming a portionof a cash drawer 32 (FIGURE 2). Wire segment 21b is joined to the anglebar 31 at one end and to an electrical contact 33 at its opposite end. Asecond electrical contact 34 spaced from contact 33 is connected to aterminal end of wire segment 21c whose opposite end is connected to anangle bar 35 receiving a roller 36 in slidable engagement therewith inthe same manner described with respect to the angle bar 31 and theroller 30. A final segment 21d of the wire 21 extends between the roller36 and one terminal of the electromagnet 23. The wire 22 is connected atone end to the opposite terminal for the secondary coil of thetransformer 13 and at its other end to the opposite terminal of theelectromagnet 23. It will be appreciated that the pairs of rollers andangle bars 30, 31 and 36, 35 are made from electrically conductivematerial so as to insure the passage of electric current between thewire segments 21a, 21b and 21c, 21d, respectively. It is alsocontemplated that wire 21 may comprise a wire segment leading directlyto the contact 33 from the terminal of the transformer 13 and a wiresegment leading directly from the contact 34 to the terminal of theelectromagnet 23, in which case the rollers 30, 36' and the angle bars31, 35 would not be included as parts of the holding circuit.

To bridge the gap between the pair of spaced electrical contacts 33, 34for completing the holding circuit to maintain the electrical alarmcircuit open, electrically conductivemeans adapted to be positioned inengagement with the contacts 33, 34 is provided. This means purpose.

the robbery alarm system, being illustrated as interposed in one of theprimary wire conductors 12 leading to the transformer 13. Normally, theswitch 69 will remain closed except in instances where it may becomenecessary to repair part of the robbery alarm system.

Also, it is contemplated that a motion picture camera 61 be incorporatedin the electrical alarm circuit to be actuated upon closing of theelectrical alarm circuit and actuation of the alarm device 14. In thisrespect, the motion picture camera 61 is connected in the electricalalarm circuit in parallel with the alarm device 14, electricalconductors or wires 62, 63 being provided for this Wire 62 branches oiffrom wire 15, while wire 63 branches ofi from wire 16 of the electricalalarm circuit. The opposite ends of the wires 62, 63 are connected toactuating means for the motion picture camera 61, such actuating meansbeing shown as a solenoid 64 having a plunger 65 movable uponenergization of the solenoid 64 to start the motion picture camera 61.

Referring now to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, it will be observed that the pairof spaced electrical contacts 33, 34 in the holding circuit of therobbery alarm system are located on a non-electrically conductive moneyreceiving surface, such as provided by a cash drawer 32. The cash drawer32 includes a plurality of money receiving receptacles 70 ofsubstantially uniform size with the electrical contacts 33, 34 beinglocated in one of the receptacles 70. In FIGURE 4, the electricalcontacts 33, 34 are illustrated as the heads ona pair of screws 71, 72extending through the bottom wall of the cash drawer 32. The threadedends of the screws 71, 72 receive terminal ends 7 of the wire segments21b and 21c, respectively, to intakes the form of a band 40 wrappedabout a stack of I paper currency C which is positioned to overlie thecontacts 33, 34. The band 40 is made from non electricallyconductivematerial, there being a strip of electrically conductive metallic foil41 (FIGURE 4) suitably secured to the undersurface of the band 4t forengagement with the contacts 33, 34 to complete the holding circuit. Itis contemplated that the band 46 itself may be electrically conductive,such as by painting electrically conductive material thereon forexample, in which case the metallic foil strip 41 may be omitted. I

As will be understood, under normal circumstances the holding circuit iscompleted by the positioning of the stack of paper currency C with itsencircling wrapping band 40 and the metallic foil strip 41 securedthereto atop the electrical contacts 33, 34 to dispose the metallic foilstrip 41 in engagement with the contacts 33, 34.

Completion of the holding circuit energizes the electromagnet 23 tom'agnetize the core 24, thereby opening the switch means 20 in theelectrical alarm circuit to break the electrical alarm circuit andrender the alarm device 14 inoperative.

In this connection, the switch means 20 comprises a pair of platemembers 50, 51 carrying opposed contacts 52, 53, respectively. As shown,the plate member 51 is attached to a magnetically attractive bar '54 byan arm 55 so as to be movable away from the plate member 50 to disposethe contacts 52, 53 in spaced relationship for the electromagnet 23 isdeenergized by breaking of the holding circuit as will be subsequentlydescribed, a compression spring 57 is preferably connected between theL- shaped lever arm 56 and the bar-54 to bias the bar 54 ping band 40 isdisposed in the receptacle containing the electrical contacts 33, 34,the metallic toil strip 41 on the undersurface of the wrapping band 40bridging the space between the contacts and engaging the contacts tocomplete the holding circuit for maintaining the electrical alarmcircuit open and rendering the alarm device 14 inoperative.

From all outward appearances, the stack of paper currency C boundtogether by the wrapping band 40 is in every respect identical withother stacks of paper currency contained in the other receptacles 70provided in the cash drawer 32. When the particular stack of papercurrency C having the wrapping band 40 thereabout is removed from thereceptacle 70 either by a criminal .bent upon robbery or by an employeeplaced under duress by the criminal, the holding circuit is broken whenthe metallic foil strip 41 on the wrapping band 40 is removed fromengagement with the contacts 33, 34. Thereupon, the electromagnet 23 isdeenergized permitting the spring 57 to bias contact 53 into engagementwith contact 52 of switch means 20 to close the electrical alarm circuitfor actuating the alarm device 14 and simultaneously actuating themotion picture camera 61 as subsequently described.

The present robbery alarm system involves no visible moving parts likelyto make a criminal suspicions that an alarm has been set 011. It will beapparent that the removal of the paper currency C together with itswrapping band 40 having the metallic foil strip 41 thereon and itsattached plate member 51 toward the plate member 50.

If desired, a master switch 60 may be provided for from engagement withthe electrical contacts 33, 34 is either done by the criminalhimself orat his direction and exposes nothing more than harmless appearing fixedscrew heads in the bottom of the receptacle 7 0 of the cash drawer 32.

It is contemplated that the alarm device 14 will preferably be locatedin a nearby establishment so as to appraise persons therein that arobbery is taking place at a petrating the robbery will have noknowledge that an alarm has, in fact, been actuated by the removal ofthe stack of paper currency C having the band 40 with the metallic foilstrip 41 thereon from its position atop the contacts 33, 34, informationabout the robbery can be relayed from the nearby vantage point to lawenforcement groups in time to permit the apprehension of the criminals.The present improved robbery alarm system would also allow persons atthe near-by vantage point to safely observe the get-a-way of thecriminals for noting down possible clues, such as a license number ofthe car taken by the criminals or various physical characteristics ofthe criminals themselves, which would prove valuable in assisting lawenforcement groups in their efforts to apprehend the criminals.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims.

I claim:

1. In combination in a robbery alarm system, a cash drawer having aplurality of money receiving receptacles therein, a pair of spacedelectrical contacts fixedly located in one of said plurality of moneyreceiving receptacles, an alarm device, electrically conductive moneywrapping means disposed in said one money receiving receptacle, saidelectrically conductive money wrapping means bridging the space betweensaid pair of fixed contacts and engaging said contacts, alarm controlmeans electrically connected to said contacts in series and energizedfor rendering said alarm device inoperative, and said alarm device beingactuated in response to removal of said electrically conductive moneywrapping means from engagement with at least one of said pair of fixedcontacts in said one money receiving receptacle which deenergizes saidalarm control means.

2. In combination in a robbery alarm system, a cash drawer having aplurality of money receiving receptacles therein, a pair of spacedelectrical contacts fixedly located in the bottom of one of saidplurality of money receiving receptacles, an alarm device, a wrappingband for encircling a stack of paper currency, said wrapping band beingdisposed in said one money receiving receptacle, a metallic foil stripof electrically conductive material secured to the lowermost surface ofsaid band, said foil strip being concealed from view and bridging thespace between said pair of fixed contacts in engagement with saidcontacts, alarm control means electrically connected to said contacts inseries and energized for rendering said alarm device inoperative, andsaid alarm device being actuated in response to movement of said bandremoving said foil strip from engagement with at least one of said pairof fixed contacts in said one money receiving receptacle whichdeenergizes said alarm control means.

3. In combination in a robbery alarm system, an electrical alarmcircuit, an alarm device disposed in said electrical alarm circuit, acash drawer having a plurality of money receiving receptacles therein, aframework for receiving said cash drawer therein, said cash drawer beingmounted in said framework for sliding movement inwardly and outwardlywith respect to said framework between closed and open positions; aholding circuit comprising a pair of spaced electrical contacts fixedlylocated in one of said plurality of money receiving receptacles,electrically conductive money Wrapping means disposed in said one moneyreceiving receptacle, said electrically conductive money wrapping meansbridging the space between said pair of fixed contacts and engaging saidcontacts, means providing slidable electrical contacts between saidframework and said cash drawer respectively electrically connected tothe fixed contact of said pair of fixed contacts in said one moneyreceiving receptacle corresponding thereto and maintained in slidingengagement as said cash drawer is moved between closed and openpositions, and alarm control means electrically connected to saidslidable and fixed contacts in series and energized when saidelectrically conductive money Wrapping means is in engagement with saidfixed contacts to close the holding circuit for maintaining saidelectrical alarm circuit open to render said alarm device inoperative;and said alarm device being actuated in response to removal of saidelectrically conductive money Wrapping means from engagement with atleast one of said pair of fixed contacts in said one money receivingreceptacle which breaks said holding circuit to deenergize said alarmcontrol means and close said electrical alarm circuit.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS215,120 Hall May 6, 1879 1,818,162 Robbins et al. Aug. 11, 1931

